


On Wings of Shadow and Magic

by BlackHunter666



Category: Assassin's Creed, Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Ancient Wars, Dragons, F/M, Gen, shape-shifting, supernatural themes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-10
Updated: 2016-09-10
Packaged: 2018-08-14 05:28:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8000269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackHunter666/pseuds/BlackHunter666
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No one could remember when the horrors started. Nothing remained to tell anyone about the truth of the curse, they simply knew it existed and caused untold havoc wherever it was discovered. Those affected hid the truth from everyone, lost and alone in a world that suddenly turned against them. That wasn't to say they gave up all hope, most still scoured the cities and countryside alike, searching for the one that could love them despite the challenges.</p><p>This is partly inspired by my series "Many Lives, One Global Fight" but doesn't belong in the same verse. You don't need to read the series to understand this fic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	On Wings of Shadow and Magic

No one could remember when the horrors started. Nothing remained to tell anyone about the truth of the curse, they simply knew it existed and caused untold havoc wherever it was discovered. Those affected hid the truth from everyone, lost and alone in a world that suddenly turned against them. That wasn't to say they gave up all hope, most still scoured the cities and countryside alike, searching for the one that could love them despite the challenges.

Humanity judged those affected harshly, claiming they were spawned from demonic contact, throwing insults and hatred at mothers unlucky enough to birth an abomination. Fearful of being judged and put to death for going against the church, many mothers abandoned their children as soon as they realised they were also afflicted with the curse. No one spoke of what happened to those children; they were quickly forgotten about in the grind of daily life.

Some of those abandoned children were lucky, rescued by secretive groups and taken to refuges hidden from the ordinary people. Here they were fed, clothed and housed in safety as they learned to control the curse whispering in their veins. The lucky ones who mastered their lessons emerged from hiding and returned to normal civilisation, constantly aware of their secret and all that they risked simply by living. Those that didn't manage to hide their affliction stayed in the refuges and helped their seniors to protect the next generation of abandoned children.

Refuges were always carefully hidden and disguised, making the most of places that ordinary people didn't like to go. Whispers of these places circulated through the unaffected, giving terrified mothers some idea of suitable places to abandon their children. The women would come, offer thanks to the shadows and leave their children before fleeing back into the night. They knew nothing of the creatures lurking in ruins and caves, waiting to protect the next generation from all who would end them.

No one understood why only some men were afflicted by this evil, spreading it to their sons but never to their daughters. Those men who knew they were carriers of the curse took great pains with their potential romances, constantly seeking out a woman that was willing to accept the risks and dangers that came from loving a bearer of such darkness. Finding such women was never easy and some men, in sheer desperation, took their own lives to escape the daily torment. Most managed to resist the temptation to give in and thrived in their unique ways.

Those that survived and found suitable places to hide worked tirelessly to create safe places for their kind. Working in secret, they created vast underground networks, turning their curse into a benefit to quarry out tunnels and caverns to protect their kind from the dangers above. The network was carefully built, allowing them easy passage and plenty of space without running the risk of the world above toppling in on their heads.

Those men who were lucky enough to avoid the affliction took up arms and formed their own guilds to hunt down and destroy those who continued to spread the curse across the lands. Their task wasn't easy but they refused to give up, determined to rid their homes and cities of these evil creatures and protect the women from being stuck with such abominations. They used all manner of vicious and cruel ways to eliminate what they saw as a threat, never once stopping to learn more about the beasts sharing their world.

In response to the hunting guilds, the affected came together to create havens and protection teams, increasing their efforts to protect the young victims and ensure they had a place to call home. Constantly alert for threats to their havens, they prepared escape plans and defences to keep the hunters at bay and worked their ancient magic to protect the young and warn of impending threats. Their magic was weakened by generations of inactivity and repression but it was still strong enough to provide some security.

To even the battle, the hunting guilds retaliated by bringing in mages from across the world and giving them free reign to hunt and capture the afflicted for their cruel studies. They bought with them tricks and traps from their homelands, things that were proven effective at catching and containing the afflicted. They weren't shy about sharing their skills either, travelling extensively to clear cities and villages of the curse. No one questioned where the afflicted were taken, most ordinary people were thankful to see their homes free of the demons.

The war raged on in the shadows, neither side willing to risk open warfare anywhere that ordinary people might become collateral damage. They didn't want to upset the third faction in their ancient war; a smaller group that worked tirelessly to prove that afflicted, clean and mages could live in harmony if they were only willing to respect some simple boundaries. Small in number, they used their gifts for the benefit of everyone and asked for very little in return. Bearers of magic similar to both sides of the ancient war, they were always on the watch for the next battle between the mages and the afflicted.


End file.
